Switzerland has to play in the European Championship qualifier on a neutral pitch for the away game against Belarus. However, the venue is tricky for Switzerland.
The game was scheduled by UEFA in the Serbian city of Novi Sad north of Belgrade and is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday (25/03/2023). “As usual, we were not included in this decision”said Adrian Arnold, media spokesman for the Swiss association on SRF.
Belarus has to play all home games abroad
While the team from Russia has been suspended by UEFA, Belarus is allowed to play in European football competitions despite supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, the home games of all clubs and national teams must be played without fans outside the country.
The choice of venue is questionable for Switzerland. Because there have been some confrontations with Serbia in recent history.
Xhaka and Shaqiri in confrontation with the Serbian team
With Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, two Swiss players have roots in Kosovo. Serbia still does not recognize Kosovo as a state. At the 2018 World Cup, Xhaka and Shaqiri celebrated with the Albanian “double-headed eagle”. At the 2022 World Cup, too, there were several scuffles when the two teams met.
“Given the political situation between Kosovo and Serbia, we were surprised by UEFA’s decision”, Arnold said on SRF. In principle, however, he does not expect any problems: “The Serbian FA was very helpful beforehand, very supportive and collegial. Accordingly, we assume that everything will go well.”
Xherdan Shaqiri celebrates with Albanian ‘double-headed eagle’ at World Cup 2018
Good relations between Serbia and Belarus
Serbia has good relations with Russia and Belarus, which may have spoken in favor of the host country. The Belarusian women also played a home game in the World Cup qualifier in Serbia. The Belarusian clubs that took part in qualifying for the men’s European competitions also played their home games abroad, for example in Turkey.
Sometimes Belarusian teams also played the second game at the opponent’s. For example, Hapoel Be’er Sheva had practically two home games in the Conference League qualifiers against Dinamo Minsk, the same was true for the Turkish team Konyaspor against BATE Borisov and for Aris Thessaloniki from Greece against FC Gomel.
Demands for exclusion from western politics
Some European politicians are surprised that Belarus is allowed to play at all. More than 100 members of the EU Parliament recently called on UEFA to exclude Belarus as well as Russia. Several members of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag also called for such a measure.
In the Swiss National Council, a group of several members of parliament also called for Belarus to be excluded. The game against Switzerland “must not take place”, it said. But it will take place – in Serbia.
Different approaches in sport
The sports deal differently with Russia and Belarus. While in football only Russia is left out, in ice hockey the exclusion of both countries has just been extended. In fencing, on the other hand, the return of fighters from Russia and Belarus under “neutral status” was decided in the world association.